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Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

What was the KGB?

Stuff You Should Know

  • 960 views
  • almost 4 years ago
  • 55:48

The KGB was the notorious strong arm of the Kremlin. Run afoul and you died. Learn all about them today. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

SYSK Selects: All We Know About Guessing

Stuff You Should Know

  • 860 views
  • almost 4 years ago
  • 01:02:55

Guessing is a weird thing. For millennia, it could have meant the difference between life and death. Now it's not as vital, but we still do it every day, whether behind the wheel of a car, or judging what another person might be feeling. In this classic episode, learn everything we know about the brain and how it manages this odd, very human act. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

SYSK Selects: Juggling: What the Heck

Stuff You Should Know

  • 900 views
  • almost 4 years ago
  • 53:49

There is a lot – A LOT – to juggling and Chuck and Josh go over the lion’s share of it in this classic episode. Delve into the deep history, physics, how-tos and different types of juggling in this surprisingly sweeping look at a putatively innocuous pastime. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Matcha: That Ain't Just Tea

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.2K views
  • almost 4 years ago
  • 51:51

Matcha is something else, healthy and delicious and all the rage. Learn all about this trendy beverage today. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Short Stuff: Nouns of assemblage... assemble!

Stuff You Should Know

  • 980 views
  • almost 4 years ago
  • 12:42

A gaggle of geese. A murder of crows. Nouns of assemblage are awesome and we talk about them for about 12 minutes in today's Short Stuff installment. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

How Ultrasound Works

Stuff You Should Know

  • 820 views
  • almost 4 years ago
  • 54:25

Sure you know all about ultrasound. You can see pictures of little babies right there cozy in the womb just by waving a magic plastic stick over the mom’s tummy. And magic is basically right. Believe us. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

SYSK Selects: Research tips from SYSK

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.6K views
  • almost 4 years ago
  • 49:23

People often ask us how we do our research. We're not going to disclose all of our secrets, but we'll give you some tips on how to root out the bad studies from the good ones. Learn all about shady studies and reporting in this classic episode! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

The Manhattan Grid

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.3K views
  • almost 4 years ago
  • 51:40

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Short Stuff: Haint Blue

Stuff You Should Know

  • 840 views
  • almost 4 years ago
  • 12:22

Haint Blue is a kind of robin's egg color that you might commonly find on porches of the low country of the Southeastern United States. But what does it have to do with ghouls and ghosts? Listen and learn! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

SYSK Selects: How Flamethrowers Work

Stuff You Should Know

  • 870 views
  • almost 4 years ago
  • 28:10

Who first decided that it would be a great idea to shoot flame at other people from a distance? Josh and Chuck talk about the (very) early origins, history and technology of the flamethrower in this classic episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Can You Eat A Tapeworm To Lose Weight?

Stuff You Should Know

  • 930 views
  • almost 4 years ago
  • 45:47

There’s a persistent insistence that you can ingest a tapeworm and as the parasite hijacks a lot of the calories you eat, the pounds will fall right off. In theory this could be true, but it’s also extremely dangerous. And has anyone ever really done it? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Short Stuff: Foie Gras

Stuff You Should Know

  • 960 views
  • almost 4 years ago
  • 14:33

Foie gras means “fatty liver” in French, which makes sense because it’s made from the overripe livers of force-fed ducks and geese.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

How Project Star Gate Worked

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.3K views
  • almost 4 years ago
  • 58:37

In yet another testament to how amazingly great the 70s were, in 1975 the US started a program that tried to harness the powers of clairvoyance to remotely spy on the Soviet Union. Since clairvoyance doesn’t seem to exist, it wasn’t super successful. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

SYSK Selects: How The Black Panther Party Worked

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.5K views
  • almost 4 years ago
  • 01:11:17

The Black Panther Party was a complex political movement that was unfairly painted as a militant group who hated white people. Far from it, they were actually men and women trying to affect change in their community. Their history is one of the more interesting American stories, from the early stages of policing the police to their community service efforts to their inevitable fall. Learn all about the Black Panther Party in this classic episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

The Massacre at Tiananmen Square

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.1K views
  • almost 4 years ago
  • 01:07:07

Tank Man. An indelible image burned in our brains. But what led to this extraordinary event? Chuck and Josh walk you through the days and weeks leading up to the massacre at Tiananmen Square, which is more of a cautionary tale than we realized. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

SYSK Selects: How Jackhammers Work

Stuff You Should Know

  • 970 views
  • almost 4 years ago
  • 36:41

It’s likely that without the invention of the pneumatic jackhammer, the Industrial Revolution wouldn’t have hummed along quite so smoothly. Certainly a lot more trains would go around mountains than through them. Learn about this essential tool in this classic episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

How Narcolepsy Works

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.1K views
  • almost 4 years ago
  • 57:58

Narcolepsy is one of those amazing rare disorders that everyone thinks they understand – people just fall asleep at random times, even in the middle of doing something. But there’s a lot more to it and – even better – we actually may be able to explain it. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Short Stuff: Lawn Darts

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1K views
  • almost 4 years ago
  • 14:52

There was a time when kids had to look out for flying darts that could pierce their skulls when they played in the backyard. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Hummingbirds: Ornery Helicopters of the Animal Kingdom

Stuff You Should Know

  • 960 views
  • almost 4 years ago
  • 51:50

If you didn’t already know how amazing hummingbirds are, prepare to learn. Not only do they count among their numbers the smallest bird species, they are also lightning fast and have the endurance of a marathoner and a telethoner put together. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

SYSK Selects: How The Enlightenment Works

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.1K views
  • almost 4 years ago
  • 45:09

The Enlightenment stands as the moment the West withdrew from superstition and found its faith in reason. Did it shift too far? In this classic episode, learn about this massive shift in thinking which we are still sorting through and coming to understand today. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers